


Perilous Flames

by coldnights13



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), michael clifford - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Elemental Magic, Multi, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-19 21:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9461078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldnights13/pseuds/coldnights13
Summary: "You need to stay away from me. I'm dangerous and I can hurt you,"  he warned, his green eyes glowing brighter. "I can't keep the flames from igniting."in which a lonely girl meets a dangerous boy with an uncanny ability to control fire.





	1. Prologue

His lungs were on fire.

Every breath he managed to gasp in burned its way down his throat as he sped across the barren desert, the back of his heels kicking up dirt behind him.

Sweat poured down his back as the humidity of the dark night clung to his clothes and his scorching skin. A dizzying pound started it's way from his head and down to his chest where his heart was galloping like a panicked horse. Every muscle screamed, pleading for him to at least slow down, but he couldn't. Not even as his knees began to buckle or his vision began to blur. Only a single thought ran through his mind, repeatedly shouting at him every time his footsteps even faltered: If you slow down, you're going to fucking die.

At the thought, he felt something inside of him crackle and surge with power. The one thing that he had anticipated for the last few life-threatening hours had finally awakened. The one thing he was looking for--the one thing he needed to survive had finally surfaced.

The fire in his veins, in every working muscle and organ in his body, sparked to life and he felt the flames rage inside, giving him the boost of adrenaline he needed to make it. His sight sharpened; the stars smoldering in the sky now became a clear glow against the blanket of darkness and the floor beneath him, now became detailed and undimmed. He had finally ignited.

But even as he regained the strength needed to fight, he didn't slow down. Their murderous, evil laugh was still enclosed in his mind and the words of their promise--that his last minutes of life were going to be slow and painful till his impending death--almost made him stumble.

Out here, in a land that only consisted of the red rocky ground, a couple of boulders and cacti, he was bound to be seen. If not by them, then by the ignorant humans who dared to ask him if he needed help and would later be dead, due to their naive concern.

He needed to hide--and he needed to do it fast.

Fiery green eyes swept up from the floor they were staring down at and almost instantly, he caught sight of the blazing light ahead. It was obviously some sort of gas station or diner built in the middle of nowhere, but either way, it was the chance he was desperately searching for. Gritting his teeth, he pumped his legs faster, harder to race toward the bright beacon of hope. The hope that this one place he was hurtling himself towards, would be the very thing to keep him alive for just one more day.


	2. The Strange Boy

I was almost certain, as I set the plate of chili fries in front of my most recent customer, that I was so done with the day.

The coral blue painted and fluorescent-lit diner was nearly empty except for a few customers. The smell of grounded meat still hung in the air, even though the time had already swept past the eleven o'clock mark, and the sound of golden 50's music played faintly in the background from the speakers hooked in the ceiling. The bluish light coming from the buzzing lights above washed out the color of my old yellow waitress uniform, casting a more greenish color onto it. Customers around, especially the only waitress working with me tonight, Franny, contrasted the eerie surroundings of the diner with their cheery smiles. The place looked dead, to say the least. But then again, at this time at night, in a diner located miles away from the actual city, it was bound to look empty. In the light of day, when it was bustling with customers like tourists making a pit stop for food, it looked alive and warm. Right now, well, it looked like a set sparked right out of a horror scene.

That, however, wasn't the reason as to why I was a fraction of an inch close to ripping my hair out. It was everything else in between.

As the customer delivered a thank you with the tip of his baseball cap, I quickly sent him a smile and turned away, heading to the counter that bordered around the kitchen in a square shape. No one was sat on the cushioned stools placed against the counter, so immediately I headed for the one nearest to the opened sill for the kitchen and sat down with a sigh.

The heels of my feet were aching inside of my old black vans and my head was already pounding away into a headache. The day had gone by achingly slow. My morning consisted of an empty fridge, three late-noticed bills, and a breakdown of my beloved, but rusty truck when I drove to work. And once I got to the diner, my boss had spent thirty minutes lecturing me on my duties and responsibilities at work and how being ten minutes late wouldn't be tolerated. Work later then consisted of bustling around the diner, serving customers who made rude comments or complained about nearly every possible thing about their order. It's remarkable that I hadn't erupted in a huge rage yet, or else I would be adding 'getting fired from my job' to the list of reasons why this day sucked ass.

A humming voice was suddenly brought to my ears and I turned to see Franny making her way towards me, her usual pretty grin plastered on her lips. Instantly, I felt my mood grow slightly better as Franny approached me.

Franny was a fifty-year-old woman with curly red hair, a southern accent, and the biggest heart anyone has ever seen. She was the kind of woman you trusted with your darkest of secrets and relied on to make your day better. Franny was my best friend, and, if anything, the mother I wished I still had.

Her eyebrow raised as she stopped next to me and leaned against the red surface of the counter. "Havin' a hard day, darlin'?"

Another sigh escaped me as I tucked away the strands of brown hair that escaped my ponytail and placed my chin atop of my palm. "Yeah, the usual."

Franny's lips formed into a pout and she brought her hand up to rub my back reassuringly. "You're a strong girl, Aiden, you can do it. Only," she turned her head to the side to get a view of the clock hanging on the wall behind her. "Forty-four minutes and then we can all go home."

Instantly I groaned in response and set my forehead against the counter top. "Franny, would you hate me if I dropped the diner and pursued a career in becoming a stripper?"

A hearty laugh escaped Franny and at her reaction, a smile formed on my face. "Well if that's your plan, I'm coming with you. I think just about everyone has had enough of Dan's crap." Dan was the owner of the diner and our beloved boss. And by beloved, we meant the boss that was hated with every inch of our guts.

My nose wrinkled as I let out a small laugh. "I don't think pole dancing is your specialty, Franny."

There was a roll from Franny's green eyes as she gave me a nudge with her elbow. "I may be fifty but I can still shake my hips."

I threw my head back as a laugh escaped me, so loud that the customers around glanced our way in annoyance. Franny instantly shushed me but a few giggles had managed to slip from her lips too. That was it then. Franny had done the impossible as always and managed to make my day better.

We let out a few more chuckles before we composed themselves and I let out a long breath. "Thank you," I murmured, giving her an appreciative smile.

Franny shrugged and fluttered her eyelashes teasingly. "It's my natural charm. No need to thank me, darlin'."

This time I rolled my eyes and I was about to give her a witty response right back when suddenly, I felt a slight prickle against my skin. Instantly goosebumps rose and trailed across my skin, causing the hairs on my arm to raise in alarm. I froze.

Then unexpectedly, a heated feeling burst in my stomach and I was taken aback by the sensation. It wasn't painful, but it was as if a humid feeling was building up inside of me. There was a weird hotness under my skin and I rubbed my hands over it immediately, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

The temperature inside of the diner was cooled at the eighty-degree mark, so I knew it couldn't be something inside of the diner. I looked at Franny to see if she felt the same way, but Franny looked completely oblivious to the feeling. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Franny took notice and stared at me in concern. "Alright there, sweetheart?"

I leaned toward her and dropped my voice to a whisper. "Do you feel that?"

"Do I feel what?"

"That weird hot feeling. I don't--" My words were cut off as the diner doors abruptly burst open, startling everyone inside, including myself. A figure came stumbling through, gasping for breath, about to trip over their own feet. It only took me a second to realize that the figure was a young man, looking no older than me.

He was ivory-skinned from what I could see, and he was dressed in a large dark gray hoodie and tight black jeans. I stared in puzzlement at the fact that he wore a sweater at this time, considering that the Arizona weather outside was still in its nineties. That, however, wasn't what caught most of my attention. It was the hair that was peeking out from the hood pulled over his head. It was unusually dyed to bright shades of purple, blue, and red. A theory rose in the back of my mind, one that made an assumption that he may have been a runaway, but I quickly pushed it away.

This diner was located on a highway in the middle of nowhere, so of course, I should expect the strangest of people to come by. Most of the customers we got were truck drivers or tourist, but we did also have the occasional supposed 'alien investigators' or those young couples who always looked paranoid as if they committed a terrible crime and were close to being caught.

The man took a quick glance around the restaurant and immediately walked over to the corner of the diner, where it was empty of any other customer, and slid into a booth. He pulled at the end of his sleeves till it covered his skin completely and sat forward, trying to regain the breath that he seemed to have lost.

"Oh my," I heard Franny breath next to me. "Isn't he the strangest."

I watched him fidget with his arms, his right leg bouncing up and down. Then after a troubling realization, it turned out that he wasn't fidgeting but rather shaking. All over. Was he was nervous?

"He's acting as if a killer is after him," said Franny as she eyed him suspiciously. "I hope it's nothing too serious going on. I don't want to be the one to call the cops again."

Right at the moment, as if the young man had heard Franny, he looked over to them and our eyes met. Instantly, mine widened, and it took everything in me to not let out a startled gasp as I saw the color of his eyes.

His eyes were a flaming green, an unusually bright emerald color against his pale skin. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was as if the green irises of his eyes were on fire, but instead of being red, they were lit in a fiery green. They were not human eyes.

I was hypnotized by the strange color of his eyes for a few seconds but then I quickly looked away and leaned more forward into the counter. 

I felt the unease in my stomach grow and looked at Franny to see any indication if she saw what I just saw, but she didn't look fazed. She was just looking at him curiously.

"Do you want me to take care of him, or are ya good?" Franny asked. 

I glanced at the boy again, and instead of still staring at me like I thought he would have been, he was actually staring intensely down at the table. His leg has stopped bouncing and it was barely noticeable that he was still shaking. I took a deep breath and said, "It's fine Franny, I got it." 

She looked at me in uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

I nodded at her and stood up from the stool, making my way over to the booth at the back of the diner. It was weird but I actually felt nervous. The back of my neck and the palm of my hands were already feeling sweaty.

When I finally reached the table, the boy slowly looked up, his eyes immediately roaming around my face.

Disappointment grew in my chest, as I got a closer look at his eyes. Instead of it being a bright flaming green like it was seconds ago, it instead was a light mixture of green and blue. Normal eyes. Human eyes.

My eyes trailed around his face, taking in the look of his ivory skin, his narrowed nose, and nearly full lips. If I wasn't in this certain situation of unsteadiness, I would've thought of him as rather attractive, almost cute. However, the eyes that I saw just seconds ago had me a bit on edge, so I didn't think more of it.

I cleared my throat, immediately realizing that I was staring too long. I took out the pen and notepad from my pocket. "Welcome to Dan's Late Night Diner, what can I get you?" I asked, staring down at the notepad I had out. 

He shifted around in his seat and looked up at me, his eyes glancing at my name tag then my face. "I, uh, I don't think I'm going to order anything right now," he said.

I was taken aback as I heard his voice. It wasn't even close to American but was instead foreign, somewhat close to Australian. 

I forced a small smile on my face, hiding away my surprise. "Alright," I said with a nod. "Take your time, there's no rush." I lowered my notepad and stepped back, ready to turn away. 

"Wait," he said quickly before I could leave. 

I glanced at him expectantly, trying to hide the still raving bewilderment inside of me. 

He gave me a quick smile. "Actually, I'll take a cup of coffee." 

I nodded, "Sugars or cream?"

He shook his head, "Just black please."

"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked almost absently and then instantly felt like face-palming myself. 

His head snapped up and I caught the alarm that flickered in his eyes. However, it was gone in a second and his face was melting in a steady calm look, a corner of his mouth turning a bit upward. "No, I'm actually from Australia, but I'm just here to visit. You know with all the weird alien sightings around here, I thought I would've checked it out myself."

I forced a smile. "Well, I suggest going over to Rocky Mountain since you're here. It's the most famous place in Prescott for tourists. You'll find your aliens there." I placed the pen and notepad back into my pocket and made my way over to the counter. My heart still pounded in my chest and I felt myself grow a little unsure at what he said. All the way from Australia just to see some alien's sighting? That had got to be a lie.

With my mind still buzzing, I grabbed the most recent pot of coffee and placed it back inside the boiler to warm it up. A hand suddenly rested on my shoulder and I jumped, whirling so fast that I nearly ran into them. 

Franny looked at me with widened eyes and took her hand off from my shoulder. "Honey are you alright?" 

I let out the breath I was holding in and gave her a shaky laugh, "Yeah, you just scared me."

She smiled apologetically and moved next to me, her voice dropping to a whisper, "So what do you think is the deal with the strange boy over there?" She asked, quickly looking at him. He was now leaning against the window by his table, his eyes trained on the darkness outside.

I shrugged my shoulders. "He said he's visiting from Australia." 

Her eyebrows rose. "Visiting for what?" 

"Aliens," I mumbled as I removed the coffee pot and poured the coffee into a mug.

Immediately she rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Again with this alien shit. People need to get their heads screwed on right nowadays." And with that, she grabbed what was left of the coffee pot and exited the counter to attend to the other customers who may have wanted more.

I laughed to myself at her words and grabbed the hot cup, walking over to the boy who had his fingers tapping away on the table and was still looking out of the window. I placed the mug on the table and he looked up at me once again. He gave me a thankful smile and pulled the mug closer to him. 

I returned the smile, but it was only small. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you," His pale green eyes flickered to my name tag, "Aiden Carter." 

A flutter immediately went through my stomach at the sound of my name, but I ignored it as I gave him a quick 'your welcome' and headed back to the counter.

Franny was there already, watching my every move. "He likes you Aiden," Franny instantly commented, giving me a smirk.

I snorted but that didn't stop the warmth from spreading across my cheeks. "He's just a customer Franny."

"A customer with colorful hair and an Australian accent," she said and gave me a nudge with her elbow. "Ask him for his number or something."

"No Franny--" My words stopped as the hairs on my arm stood straight up for the second time tonight. I felt goosebumps beginning to dot all over my skin and I let out a shaky breath that actually showed when it came out of my mouth. I looked around wildly, the weird feeling on my skin back. What the hell? Instead of it being warm and humid like I previously felt, it was cold as ice. The temperature in the diner seemed to drop so suddenly. It was recently only eighty degrees and now it felt like it was in its fifties. 

I rubbed my hands over my arms and looked at Franny in confusion.

She was as well had her arms around her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm. "Lord, it's freezing in here. What the heck is goin' on with the weather?" 

"Excuse me," the man with the black and white baseball cap called at Franny and I. He wore the same confused expression as the rest of us, "do you know what happened to the temperature? It's freezing cold in here!"

"Sorry sir, we'll get it fixed!" Franny apologized and then looked at me and whispered, "Wait here, I'm going to check the thermostat and figure out what the hell is going on." And Franny left in a hurry, her tennis shoes squeaking on the tiled floor. 

I glanced around and my eyes rested on the colorful-haired boy. He seemed the most affected by the sudden coldness. The color had drained from his face and his hands had clenched into fists. He was still looking outside but now was quickly getting to his feet. I saw him swore under his breath as he took a crumpled five dollar bill from his pocket and threw it onto the table. 

His eyes stayed on the windows that showed the view outside as he made his way toward the back of the diner, where another door led to an exit. I watched as he placed his hand on the handle of the door and looked through the window beside it. He then looked over his shoulder and his eyes met mine once more.

Right there, I saw the fear shining in his eyes. The cold definitely had taken a toll on him and I felt like going over to him to ask him what was wrong, but then the doors of the diner burst open. 

My head snapped to look at the person who came in, and again tonight, I was surprised.

The person who had just walked in was a man. He looked in his early thirties and he wore a dark shirt with regular jeans. But that wasn't what surprised me. It was the dark sunglasses he wore the shield his eyes and his shockingly white hair. His hair was styled in a spike upwards and it was the color of snow. A cold color. 

Glancing back at the exit, I realized that the boy had disappeared. He wasn't standing by the door anymore, he already had left. I straightened my stance and looked around at the other customers. They looked at the man in with surprise and fear. I wondered if I looked the same too.

The man then, instead of taking a seat, came toward the counter, straight toward me. And with every step, I felt the goosebumps rise and for some reason, I felt even colder. He paused in front of me and a smile curved his pale lips. He took off his sunglasses and his eyes were a crystal blue. It looked almost clear and lifeless. It was the second time tonight that I saw such strange, inhuman eyes. 

I took a small step back and forced a smile on my face. However, I knew it had come out weak. "Hi, can I h-help you?" I stuttered, not only from the cold but from fear. 

His smile grew a bit more as if he noticed my timidness and his eyes flashed white. My heart quickened. 

"Yes," the man said, his voice having a certain accent to it. He was American but it was accented that could be easily from the east side of the U.S. It was close to a Boston accent. "I'm looking for a boy," he explained. 

At that, my heart stopped altogether and I realized why the boy had left so urgently. This man was looking for him. And by the look of this man, I could tell that he wasn't someone he wanted to get caught from. 

"I um," I started but quickly corrected myself, "A boy? What kind of boy?" 

He tilted his head to the side. "He looks about your age. Blue and purple hair, probably wearing a sweater and Australian. He's not hard to miss."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head slightly, "Sorry, but I didn't see any particular boy today. We don't get a lot of tourists around here." I didn't know why I was keeping the boy coming to the diner a secret, but I felt strangely obligated to.

The man's smile immediately transformed to a frown, "Well that's too bad," he murmured and then turned around, looking at the rest of customers there. Most of them did glance suspiciously at the man but didn't stare. 

The man looked back at me for a moment and gave me a grin, "Thank you for your time missy," he said and placed the sunglasses back over his eyes. He sauntered over to the door, pushed it open and left with not another word.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the coldness in the diner seemed to disappear. I took another shaky breath and leaned back on the wall behind me. 

Who the hell was he and what did he want with the boy?

A few seconds later, Franny came back, her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. "I don't know how I did it, but I did it." She strutted over to me and placed her hand under the vent that was near us. The regular eighty-degree artificial air was blowing through. 

Franny was about to let out an accomplished 'whoop' but paused when she saw my face. "Darlin' what's wrong?" She placed her hands on my cheeks and wiped the small drops of sweat on my temple. "Oh Aiden, you look shaken up. Did ya happen to waste all of your energy in the few minutes that I was gone?"

I took my face out of her hands and shook my head, "No Franny I just . . . " I trailed off as I thought about the man who just came in. I wondered for a second if I should tell Franny about my encounter with him but thought against it. I didn't know what had just happened and so I decided that it would be best just to forget about. To forget about the cold man and the color-haired boy.

"Just what?" Franny asked.

"No . . . I'm just tired," I lied and gave her a feeble smile and wiped the sweat from my forehead away with the back of my palm.

"Alright then, you should get goin'," she said, giving me a gentle push.

"What? No! Franny, I can't just leave-" 

"Sure ya' can Aiden. It's only fifteen more minutes till closing time. I can handle it." 

"But Dan-"

"But Dan won't know about it," she assured me, naming our boss. 

I looked at her for a few seconds before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay fine."

She grinned and gave me a warm hug. "That's my girl. Now go get some good rest, and I'll see ya' tomorrow mornin'."

I gave her a smile and headed over to the break room. I walked over to the unit of lockers and opened my own, grabbing my bag that I kept in there. I headed over to the employee bathroom, locking the door behind me and undressed from my faint yellow waitress dress. I rummaged through my bag and found the spare clothes I packed this morning. I pulled on regular jean shorts and a regular gray t-shirt. I took out my phone from one of the side pockets of my bag and my car keys and was out of the bathroom in no time. 

I walked through the door saying my goodbyes to Franny and Guermillo and went out through the door on the back of the diner and into the hot humid air. I hopped onto the dusty floor and headed over to where my truck was parked. 

Walking over to my rusty old blue Ford truck, I pulled the door of it open and climbed inside. I placed my bag on the passenger seat and closed the door shut. Inserting the keys into the ignition, I twisted it to the side to start and immediately the truck let out a cranky groan. 

"No," I muttered. "Come on." 

I twisted the key again and thankfully, the car sputtered to life. I let out a relieved breath and drove out of the parking lot of the diner and took a left onto Highway 103, toward the city of Prescott. After a couple of minutes of driving, I began to feel the humid air so I reached over to the AC switch and turned the knobs. But after many attempts of finding a way to turn it on, I eventually gave up. I placed a steady hand on the wheel and another on the handle of the window. I wheeled it clockwise as I tried to get the window down the lowest I could. 

When I put it the lowest it could go, I rested my elbow on the door and leaned back into my seat. Oh, the complications of having an old truck.

Last year, on my eighteenth birthday, Franny and the workers at the diner worked together to save up money and bought me a car. Since I was always complaining at work about always having to take a cab places or ask others for a ride, they decided to get me my own transportation. They knew I couldn't afford it with all the other bills that I had to pay, so they decided to give me it as a present. And it was the best present ever. The truck did give me trouble from time to time, but I was still beyond grateful for it.

As I drove onto the road, I turned the volume of the radio on and glanced at the distant city lights. It sucked that the diner was so far from where I lived, but the only good part of it would probably be driving home at night. It was always peaceful, the roads nearly always empty and the city lights shining in the background.

With the sudden thought of the diner, my mind went back to the boy who came in tonight. He was strange, as Franny said. Not just because of his dyed hair and of his Australian accent, but the way his green eyes had glowed. It was so rare and strange and not normal. Even though I did manage to make a small conversation with him, I still felt like something was off about him.

It reminded me of the feeling I got just before he came in. The feeling I got before he and the man came in. 

I sighed in frustration. I didn't like that I didn't know what all that was. The feelings and how there were no certain explanations for how both of their eyes were. 

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up again. 

The chilly feeling was back, just on the nape of my neck. I shivered and reached up, pulling the hair tie off of my ponytail and letting my brown hair loose in an attempt to get rid of the feeling.

A warm tingle ran along both of my arms and I looked down at them to see goosebumps rise again. 

What in the actual hell?

I put my eyes back on the road, my heart beating faster, and right at that moment, a figure suddenly darted just a few feet in front of the truck. 

I shrieked in surprise and slammed my foot on the brakes, the truck screeching to a stop just in front of it. The headlights shined onto the figure and I squinted to get a better look at it, only for my eyes to widen in disbelief. 

It was the same boy who came into the diner earlier.

My hands fumbled on the door handle and I scrambled out of the car and shut it beside me. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked frantically, afraid that I had hurt him...or someone else had. But it was only then that I had got out of the car that I realized how terrible he looked. 

He sweater was gone and he wore a black shirt that was ripped at his torso and bloody on the fabric. His hair, instead of it being blue and purple like I previously saw, was now a solid red with only tints of brown to it.

I walked forward and I began to notice that his hair was matted down with blood and a line was cut from the side of his forehead to his ear.

"Oh my God," I breathed and moved closer to him, "What happened to-"

Before I even had time to finish my question, the boy's eyes shuttered closed and his legs buckled underneath him. I rushed forward and caught him, just before his upper body had hit the ground. The impact of his weight dropped me to the floor, but I was careful to make sure his head didn't touch the ground. 

I slowly placed him on the road and swept his matted hair from his face. Being closer now, I could see that his lip was cut and a bruise was on the right side of his cheek. 

''Oh God," I whispered and placed two fingers to the side of his throat. I felt the steady thump of his heartbeat and I pulled my fingers back just to see it drenched in blood. 

Panic crawled in my chest and I shook him. "Please," I begged, moving his arm. "Please wake up." A sob threatened to come up my throat. 

Please don't be dead. Please don't. Please be okay. 

Hovering over him, I placed my ear just above his mouth and heard his ragged breathing which just made it even more clear that he was hurt pretty bad. I pulled back and suddenly felt a hotness on my skin again. Except this time, it was on my arm and it was sharp and painful. I looked down at my right arm, only to see a hand wrapped around it. It was the boy's hand and it was glowing. 

I yanked my arm from his grasp and stumbled backward. My eyes widened as I saw that both of the boy's arms were glowing. "Holy shit," I whispered in shock. It wasn't the skin itself but it was his veins. It was as if it had fire in them. Every vein that trailed down his arms were glowing a bright red right through his skin. 

I outstretched a hand to him and gingerly touched his arm. His skin was burning.

Did he have a fever? What do I do? Do I call an ambulance? Do I take him to the hospital? A groan left the boys lips and I knew that I had to take him to a hospital and I had to do it now.

Taking a deep breath, I came closer to him and brought my hands right under his arms, about to heave him up when his eyes snapped open.

I gasped and pulled away as I saw them.

He was staring back at me now, his eyes wide open.

And they were shining an unusually bright flaming green.


	3. Bloody Shards of Ice

I stared back at his eyes in shock for a second before I sprang back and turned away to run back to my truck when another figure stood right in my way. 

My eyes recognized the dark shirt and my eyes traveled up to the pale face of the man who came into the diner earlier. His sunglasses were gone and now his eyes were only white. There was no pupil or iris but only the color of white painted over his eyes.

I gasped and backed away, my hands going to the small pocket knife I always kept in the back of my shorts. "What do you want?" I choked out. I was so terrified of both of them and what they were capable of. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Finally, after fumbling with it for a moment, I finally had a hold of the knife behind my back and slid it from the safety barrier. 

He shook his head and gave me an amused smile. "There's nothing that I want from you, pretty. It's from that boy behind you." I looked back to see the boy climbing painfully to his feet. His eyes connected with mine and the fear in my chest spiked. 

What the fuck have I gotten myself into? I turned back to the man and saw that he held a knife as well, only that the blade looked as if it was carved from ice, perfectly smooth and perfectly deadly. "Only thing," the man continued, "is that you're in my way." 

Right at the moment, I whipped my pocket knife from behind and slashed forward at the man. It sliced cleanly through the front of his torso and blood began to seep through his shirt. The man's face showed the expression of surprise as he looked down at his shirt. Then suddenly he looked up at me, and his face transformed into the darkest smile I had ever seen. 

"You shouldn't have done that," he said darkly and lunged forward to me with the knife. 

Suddenly a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and I was pulled backward, away from the man and slammed onto the ground. A sharp pain went up to my spine and I looked up to see the boy standing in front of me, blocking me from the man. The knife the man had was now shoved into the boy's right shoulder but the boy's glowing fingers were wrapped around the man's throat, the pain he should have felt in his shoulder completely unrecognized. "Don't you fucking dare," the boy snarled, his veins in his arms glowing brighter.

The man grinned, despite the fact that the oxygen was being cut from him. He let out a laugh, "I'm surprised, Michael. You're stronger than we thought." 

The boy, Michael, then threw the man forward and he crashed into the hood of my truck. Michael quickly took out the knife that protruded from his shoulder, making ice shards break and fly everywhere, and threw it away. The man rolled off the hood and onto the ground. He chuckled darkly again and spit onto the ground. He quickly glanced at me and then Michael. "You think you can keep running boy, but you can't. You're an abomination and will only die. Just, unfortunately, not tonight." The man sent me a grin, and I grimaced as I saw his white teeth stained with blood. And suddenly in a flash, the man disappeared. 

I sat on the road and looked around in panic, waiting for the man to appear again, but he didn't. My heart still raced in my chest as the boy turned around to face me. His eyes still glowed green but not as brightly as before, and his arms were no longer glowing a bright red. He looked drained, but he still managed to walk over to me. 

I immediately backed away from him. "Get the hell away from me!" I shrieked, and he bent down in front of me. His eyes skimmed my face for a second before wandering down to my legs. They widened when he saw my calf and he reached out to touch my leg when I flinched away from him. "Don't touch me," I demanded. I looked at my leg as well and saw that the skin was scraped because of the rough gravel of the road and was bleeding. 

The boy let out a sigh, "I saved your fucking life if you didn't already notice. I'm not going to hurt you," he said, meeting his eyes with mine. "We need to fix your leg, it can get infected." He stood back up and held out his hand to me. 

I stared at him for a second, the beating of my heart subsiding a bit and looked back at the place the man had stood. Even though he wasn't there, I still had the great fear that he would come back and finish off the both of us. Me for pissing him off, and the boy, Michael, for who knows what. Maybe for being an 'abomination' as the man put it.

My eyes flickered to his hand but then I turned away and placed my hands on the road and pushed myself up. I winced as the sharp rocks dug into my skin and at the pain that shot up my leg. I slowly stood up straight, only to stumble backward and into the arms of the boy. I squeezed my eyes shut, prepared for a burning pain to come onto my skin from the boy, but nothing happened. 

"Whoa, steady there," he murmured and took my left arm, putting it over his shoulders and wrapped an arm around my waist. My fingers brushed his shoulder and it felt wet with blood. I realized that this way the same shoulder that the man had stabbed. 

"Your shoulder..." I whispered, my voice no longer able to be loud. I just witnessed a guy getting stabbed and parts of people's body glowing; I think I had the right to sound like a damn scared cat. 

He chuckled to lighten the mood, but there was clearly no humor in it, "My shoulder should be the least of your worries right now." He then began to walk us over to my truck. 

"I can walk," I muttered and I removed my arm from his shoulder. He let out an annoyed sigh as I wobbled away from him. The cut on my calf stung so bad, but I still was able to walk. After making sure my balance was somewhat stabled I began to limp toward the driver side of the truck. "We need to get you to a hospi-"

A loud groan sounded from the boy and I whipped around to see him now on his knees and bent over, his fingers grasping his stabbed shoulder. 

I cursed and limped over to him and helped him back up. This time, I put his arm around my shoulder instead and gripped his waist. "We need to get you to the hospital right now," I repeated.

"No," he started, his voice coming out in a huff, "We can't go-" suddenly, he almost fell forward again. I came up in front of him and put my arms around him. I felt his warm breath blow against my bare neck and I felt shivers go down my back. 

Luckily we were almost to the passenger side of the truck, so we took only a few more steps and finally I gently helped him into the seat. Once he was all the way sitting on, he slumped back against the seat, his hand still on his shoulder and his eyes were closed. I quickly slammed the car door shut and rounded the truck, pausing only for a second to examine the hood. The hood of the truck had a big dent in the middle of it, and I felt my heart drop. I loved my car, but there was nothing I could do right now to fix it.

I quickly got into the driver's side and glanced at the boy. His forehead now rested against the passenger window and his ragged breathing was back. 

The panic was stirring in my chest again and I took a shaky breath to keep myself calm. I will not start freaking out now. I turned the keys in the ignition, waiting for the engine to purr to life but nothing happened. 

"No no no," I muttered and tried again. This time the car just sputtered and then went silent again. "No!" I said louder, making the boy jump slightly in his seat. I slammed my palms on the steering wheel and felt my throat beginning to close up. I will not have a panic attack. I will not have a panic attack. I will not have a panic attack. 

A couple of frustrated tears went down my face and then one last time, I turned the keys forcefully in the ignition. And thankfully, the truck coughed to life. I let out the breath I was holding in and pressed my feet on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward onto the road. 

I let out a relieved breath as I put my forehead for a second on the wheel. "Thank you," I muttered to whatever godly person listened to my pleas and continued to drive as quickly as I can toward the city of Prescott. 

"The nearest hospital is just a few miles away, don't worry," I assured the boy, whose eyes were shut but I knew he wasn't asleep. Mainly because of the small grunts of pain that escaped his lips every time the truck hit a bump on the road. 

"No..." His voice was weak and it looked like he had a hard time speaking. He removed his head from the window and turned to face me. His flaming eyes were gone and were back to normal, but they were a dull color. His forehead was sweaty and the bruise on his cheek looked more purple. "You can't...take me...to the hospital," he breathed.

"Why not?" I demanded as I finally drove onto the road that led into the city. As usual, Prescott wasn't alive with people despite the fact it was a city. The roads were nearly empty, only a couple of cars driving by and the sidewalks were completely empty of any people. 

"Because..." He took in a sharp breath as I took a right on a street. "They can...they can find me there." 

Fear shot through me and I glanced at him. He was staring at me, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

I then suddenly believed him when he said they would find him. The man, who had the ice knife and had white hair. They looked like they had a determination to find the boy and...kill him. And I feared for him. 

I nodded slowly and then took a sharp U-turn to the left, and the boy let out a loud hiss of pain. "Sorry," I murmured and pressed onto the gas pedal. I prayed that the police of Prescott wouldn't choose this night to be wandering the streets to find someone to give a ticket to or arrest. 

I drove faster and finally saw the familiar apartment building looming up at the left. I again let out another relieved breath and quickly pulled into the apartment's parking lot. I quickly took the keys from the ignition and jogged over to the passenger side. I yanked the door open and helped him out, putting his arm around my shoulder like before and my other arm around his waist. I kicked the car door shut and headed toward the elevator of the building that led up to the apartments.

I pressed my thumb against the up button and hoped that nobody would be using the elevator this late at night. The last thing I needed--the last thing we both needed--was someone catching us looking like we did. 

Finally, after a few seconds, the elevator dinged and the metal doors slid open. Fortunately, no one was inside and we limped into the shaft and I pressed the button to the fifth floor. I rocked back and forth on my heels to calm my nerves and waited impatiently for the elevator to finally reach the right floor. I glanced at the boy who was slumped against the elevator wall and was staring at me, a weak smile on his face. 

I looked at him incredulously. "What are you smiling at?" I was astonished that he even had the nerve to smile, even after what we both went through.

"Where are we?" He questioned, ignoring my question. His voice came out hoarse. 

At that moment, the elevator doors slid open and I held my breath, expecting to see someone standing on the other side, but there was no one. I looked up at the numbers above the doors and I realized that we had already reached the fifth floor. 

I came by the boy's side and did the same position we were in before and started forward to the familiar apartment door. Our loud footsteps thumped against the carpet floor and I was terrified that someone would come out of their door to check out the loud noises.

When we finally reached the apartment door, I let go of the boy for a second to insert the key that would open the apartment door. When it unlocked and I pushed it open, I helped the boy inside and slammed the door shut. 

My apartment was only illuminated by the light coming from my desk lamp in the corner of the room. I switched the lights on and glanced around to see everything the same as I had left it that morning. The mail was stacked on the coffee table and my recent laundry basket was placed on the old couch that was across of the medium sized television set. 

Suddenly the boy coughed again, this time violently, and he put a bloody hand on the white wall to steady himself. I rushed over to him and helped him over to the long couch. Gently laying him down I scanned his torso to see what was hurt and noticed that not only his stabbed shoulder was bleeding but also somewhere near his abdomen. 

I looked at the boy to see him flutter his eyes closed and his breaths were coming out long and slow. I quickly headed into my bedroom and to the closet near it and threw the door open. I went inside and searched the shelves for the familiar first aid kit and spot it wedged in the corner under a pile of books. 

I grabbed it, ignoring the books that tumbled to the floor, and hurried back to the living room and dropped onto my knees in front of the boy. I grabbed a clean towel from the basket beside the couch and wiped away the sweat from the boy's face. Placing the kit on the coffee table behind me, I quickly pulled it open and grabbed a pair of scissors.

Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, I slowly cut up his shirt up the middle. I then carefully peeled away the t-shirt off him since the blood made it stick to his wounds. He let out a groan and I whispered, "almost there," to reassure him. 

My eyes widened then, as I got a good look at his chest and stomach. 

His right shoulder had a nasty cut in it and was growing purple around the edges of the intact skin around the cut. Not only that but on his abdomen was the same cut but even bigger, his skin ragged with little pieces of something punctured inside. I moved closer to the cut to see what the pieces were and I was startled when I figure out they were pieces of ice. 

"Take them out," a strained voice whispered. 

I looked up at the boy and my eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What?"

"The ice...take them out," he answered, his voice getting weaker.

I nodded and turned around to get the tweezers from the first aid kit. Facing back to him, with also a napkin in my hand, I quickly picked out the shards of ice puncture into the wound in his shoulder and his stomach and placed them on the napkin I had. I placed the napkin on the table and grabbed the disinfected spray and gauze. 

"This is going to sting a little," I whispered to him and then quickly sprayed the wound on his shoulder. The boy immediately groaned loudly and clenched his teeth. I wiped it clean and placed a bandage pad on top of the wound. 

"One more time," I assured him and glanced at him one last time. His teeth were still clenched as if he was preparing for the next spray. I then sprayed the disinfect onto his stomach wound and he groaned, even louder this time. 

"Stings like a bitch," he hissed and gave me a glare, for probably lying to him. I gave him an apologetic smile and did the same process as I did with the other cut before. 

I then grabbed the gauze and wrapped it around his shoulder blade, making sure to cover the bandage on his shoulder and tied it secured. 

I then did the same to his stomach but made sure to wrap it all around his stomach, having to reach under his back a couple times. At the end, both wounds were cleaned and covered. 

I sat back on my heels and sighed, wiping away the sweat in my forehead. The boy was know breathing slowly but less ragged and I let out a relieved sigh. 

"Thank you Aiden," the boy whispered and my eyes snapped up to see that he was staring back at me, the color of his eyes having more life to them. 

"How do you know my name?" I questioned, a little surprised that he did. 

He was silent for a moment as his eyes roamed around my face but eventually, he answered, "I remember you from the diner." 

I nodded, "Right," I said and stood up from sitting down. "And you're welcome. You did save my life after all." 

The corners of his mouth turned upward and his eyes slowly closed shut. It only took a few seconds but then his breathing went at a steady level and then did I realize that he was sleeping. I sighed and closed the first aid kit and made my way back to my bedroom. I placed the kit back inside the closet but saw a small stack of men clothes in the corner. I quickly took a plain white t-shirt and dark washed jeans with me back to the living room and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch. I then walked over to the armchair that was placed on the side of the coffee table and took a seat. 

As soon as I did, a pain shot up my leg and I looked down to see that the cut I had from the incident in the highway still was there. I brushed my hand over the cut and winced as the pebbles that stuck to the cut were brushed away. My hand came out red and I was going to stand up to clean the cut when I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion come over me. 

Next thing you know, my head was resting against the cushioned seat, my eyes were closing shut, and the darkness that I was waiting for, had finally found me.


	4. Hunters

I woke up to a stiffness in my neck and the continuous vibration in my pocket.

I let out a soft groan from the small ache in my back and fumbled for my phone that was in my back pocket. I flicked the cell phone open and brought it up to my ears, not bothering to check the caller I.D.

"Hello?" My answer came out in a croaked voice.

"Aiden, sweetheart! Where are you?" Franny's panicked voice came on the other line.

Opening my eyes, I sat up from whatever I was sleeping on and rubbed my temples, for a massive headache began to form there. "I'm at home Franny," I mumbled and looked down at my legs. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw a trickle of dried blood that went from my calf to sneaker. 

"You're not coming to work then? Dan already has his panties in a twist! He doesn't need to find out you're not coming to work today!"

My fingers reached down to brush my leg and immediately a sting shot up from behind it. I twisted my leg around to see the calf side scraped up. At that moment, the events from last night came rushing back to my mind and my head snapped up, my eyes focusing on where the boy should be. The couch across from me, though, was empty. 

He was gone. 

The phone dropped from my grasp as I quickly got to my feet. Immediately I regretted it as I felt the soreness from my body and the more painful sting of my leg. I took a few steps and looked around the living room and kitchen, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Confusion and panic struck me as I realized maybe the boy had left before I woke up. But that couldn't happen. I needed answers for what happened last night, and he was the only who could give them to me.

"Aiden, are you still there?" Franny's frantic voice rose from my phone.

I walked over to the forgotten cell phone and brought it back to my ears. "Franny I-" I started but stopped as I saw someone emerge from the hallway that led to the bathroom and bedroom.

It was the boy, Michael as the man called him, and his mouth turned into a crooked smile when he saw me. "Franny, I got to go," I spoke quickly into the phone. I took in his appearance and saw that his red hair was slightly wet and he wore the clothes that I left for him on the coffee table. He leaned against the wall next to him, and crossed his arms over his chest, giving me a raised eyebrow.

I heard Franny give an exasperated sigh. "Aiden, are you not coming to-"

"Franny, I'm not feeling well. Tell Dan I'm sorry, but I can't make it today. I'll talk to you later." Franny began to protest again on the other line, but I shut the phone, ending the call for good and shoved the device into the back pocket of my shorts. A small part of me in the pit of my stomach felt guilty, but talking to Franny wasn't one of my priorities right now. 

My main priority had to do with the strange boy standing in front of me. 

I shoved the phone in the back of my pocket and felt a slight uncertainty as the silence stretched between us. Was it even safe bringing him into my own home? After all, he did glow red and had crazy glowing eyes. 

I cleared my throat after a few seconds and shifted my feet slightly. "You're awake," I said and immediately realized how stupid I sounded. I was really good at stating the obvious. 

He pretended not to notice, though, as he sent me a small grateful smile. "Thanks to you." He let his arms fall around him and he looked around the room for a second. "I took a shower if you don't mind. I kind of was covered in blood, so ..." he trailed off, letting the sentence end there.

My thoughts went back to the reason why he was covered in blood in the first place. It was because of the knife the man had that was made out of ice. How was that even possible? How could a knife be made by ice? Why was Michael so affected by it? So many questions racked my thoughts and I made a determination to figure out what the hell happened last night. 

So I asked the first questioned that came into mind when I first saw him. "Are you human?"

The smile on his face slowly lessened till it was barely there. My heart began to speed up when he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It took him a few seconds to answer as his eyes flickered all around, not bothering to meet mine once. "I should go," he said and began to make his way to the front door. 

"What? No!" I protested and walked over to the door before he reached it, and pressed my back against it. He now stood in front of me, so close that I could see my own reflection in his eyes. He sighed again and reached for the door knob, but I blocked it from his reach. "No. You are not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell happened last night," I said but was unable to put my voice barely over a normal voice level. I knew he could hurt me, but I needed answers.

"I can't tell you-" 

"Why the hell not?" I demanded and instantly regretted it as I saw the color of his eyes beginning to brighten. 

"Because." He took a deep breath and ran another hand through his hair. Then suddenly he brought his hands forward, pressing his palms on the door on either side of my head, trapping me between his arms. "Because if you knew," he tried again, looking at me in the eyes, "what we were, then you would be put at a fucking risk. And I don't want to be responsible for the death of someone just because I told them something they shouldn't know." 

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and felt a slight tremor through my body. "I saved your life. I have the right to know." 

"And I saved yours, so now we're even." His breath was hot on my face and I felt myself shake as I saw the green of his eyes grow just a little bit brighter. 

"We'll be even when you tell me what the hell you are," I surprised myself at the sharpness in my tone.

He stared at me for a second, his eyebrows drawing together in thought before he dropped his arms to his side and took a step back. He didn't say anything to what I said but instead looked around till his eyes caught the scrape on my calf. "You're leg-"

"Stop trying to change the subject." 

"For fuck's sake!" he snapped and his eyes brightening even more in a second and they were nearly glowing. My stomach squirmed with unease but I stood my ground. 

"You don't scare me," I tried to say, but my voice shook. I didn't want to look terrified, but I knew I was doing a terrible job at doing so.

He chuckled, but the humor wasn't there. "Why do you care so much? You can be done with all of this crap, yet you keep pressing for the knowledge that you would be better off not knowing." His voice grew tired and he closed his eyes. He was silent for a few seconds and when he reopened them, they were back to normal. "You can go back to your normal life Aiden. Just let me go, and forget everything that happened last night." 

"You want me to forget about a man who had freakin' white eyes and you, who's hair color changed in an instant and who has glowing eyes and arms?" I demanded and moved forward, only to almost lose my balance. I tumbled toward the floor, but he grabbed my waist, bringing me close to his chest. My breath caught in my throat as his hand felt warm on my arm and his face was only inches from mine. I couldn't help but feel the fear shoot through my every core. I thought of how one accidental touch can possibly get me burned by whatever he was. 

"You have to try," he murmured, looking down at me with an exhausted face but then was suddenly helping me over to the couch. "But I'm not leaving yet. Not until we get your leg fixed." 

I sat down without hesitation as my leg began to throb from the cut. How bad did I scrape it? Michael went over to the kitchen and I heard the sink turn on for a second and then turn off and he came back with a damp paper towel in hand. 

He bent down in front of me and began to wipe away the blood from my leg and the scrape. I watched him do so and made sure not to flinch every time his skin touched mine. 

"I thought you said you needed to go," I muttered. 

He glanced at me and a grimace came upon his features. "I did, but I couldn't leave you with a cut that I caused, can I? It's the least I could do." 

"I would rather have you tell me what you are, then help me out with a lame cut." 

"A cut that made you almost fall over?" He gave me raised an eyebrow.

"It's because I'm clumsy, not because of the cut," I argued, narrowing my eyes at him. 

He chuckled and asked for where the first aid kit was and then he left to go look for it as I stayed on the couch, deciding what I should do with the whole situation. I wanted to know what happened last night, but did I wanted to know that badly that it would only change things in my life? 

"Thanks for the clothes by the way," he said as he came back. He raised the kit so I could see that he found it and came over to me, finally patching up the cut. "I do, however, prefer darker clothes, but I appreciate it." He gave me a quick smile. "So, where did you get the clothes?" he questioned as he wrapped the gauze around my leg. 

"They're my brother's," I replied.

He, at last, tied off the gauze and sat back on the floor, looking up at me. "Does he live with you?" 

I shook my head as I felt the slight pain in my heart and let out an exasperated breath. "No, it's just me."

"Shouldn't you live with your parents?"

At this, I rolled my eyes. "I'm eighteen okay, so I can legally live alone," I said, my voice coming out defensive.

He grinned at that, his eyes roaming around my face once again. "You take a lot of things offensively, don't you?"

A glare came upon my face and I gave him a look but ultimately decided to ignore him on that topic. I got up and slowly walked over to the kitchen, surprised to find that the scrape on my leg only had a slight throb to it, but didn't hurt as badly as it did before. I walked over to my fridge and opened it, trying to find something to eat. I wasn't as hungry as I should have been, but I knew I had to get something into my stomach. I also assumed that after what happened last night, we both may have been a bit hungry. My eyes searched the shelves and instantly, I let out a groan. 

"What is it?" he asked, and I looked behind me to see him looking over my shoulder. 

I closed the fridge door and headed over to the cabinets. They were empty as well and I closed the door in frustration. "I don't have any food," I said.

He chuckled and looked at me strangely. "You're worried about food?" 

"So you're not hungry?" 

"Starving actually," he said with a smile. "But if you don't have food, we can stop by someplace so we both can get something to eat." 

I looked at him in astonishment. This guy can't seem to make up his mind. "You said you need to leave and now you want to take me somewhere out to eat?" 

His smile fell and he looked a little guilty. "Yeah, I know I keep saying I need to leave but," he paused for a second as if he was trying to find the right words to say. "But I can't just leave you like this. It doesn't feel right," he tried to explain.

I snorted and gave him a glare. "In my opinion, if you wanted to make sure I was safe, you should have left before I even questioned who you were."

"Look, just let me get you something to eat and then-"

"Fuck no," I snapped, and walked over the front door and twisted it open. I held it wide open. "Just leave, Mr. I-don't-want-to-tell-you-crap-but-I-have-to-stay-because-it's-the-right-thing-to-do." 

He smiled at the long ridiculous title I gave him, but it vanished in an instant, his pale face transforming into a face of fear. And I knew exactly why. 

A cold whip of air traveled from the corridor into the apartment and I shivered. The hairs on my arm stood up, goosebumps came all over my skin and as I expected, the temperature in the air went down impossibly fast. 

"He's here," I whispered and before I knew it, Michael came over to the door and slammed it shut, placing the lock on the door and backing a few feet away from it. I came up behind him, and I felt my heart stop altogether as I heard the front door beginning to crackle and suddenly ice began to form around the frame of the door. 

I gasped and instantly grabbed Michael's arm, pulling him away from the door. Even though I still feared Michael himself, I did fear for him. He never did anything wrong to me, and I didn't want him to get hurt protecting me. 

A shudder suddenly ran through the apartment, a small tremor that caused a few groans to sound from the floorboards. Michael instantly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the hallway that led to my bedroom and the bathroom. 

"Do you have anywhere that you could hide?" he questioned, his eyes brightening a bit back to the same color they were a few minutes ago when he snapped.

"Me?" I asked, "What about you?! You can't just be out there alone--" 

"Aiden," he breathed and brought his hands onto my shoulders. "Trust me, I can take care of myself. You just need to hide so you won't get hurt." 

"What are you going to do?" The question came out in a trembling whisper. 

Another tremor caused the walls to shudder and the beating of my heart increased by the second. Suddenly all of the lights in the apartment blinked off, and the only light to illuminate the place was the sunlight. 

"I'm going to distract him long enough so you can run." 

I opened my mouth, about to protest at his ridiculousness when I heard the ice on the door's frame crackle and then shatter. I could hear the ice that covered it shower onto the wooden floor and the loud footsteps of someone coming inside. 

Michael tensed up and his eyes brightened in an instant, his eyes instead of a light green, now a fiery green. Small beams of red began to seep down his arms, under his skin, and through his veins. I backed away, amazed at his transformation. Michael gave me a slow nod as if to say 'go now', and I began to slowly creep down the hallway. Whirling around, I quickly ran down toward the bathroom, throwing open the door and slamming it quickly shut. 

The small bathroom was bathed in the dim sunlight from the small window above the shower. Locking the door, I backed away from it until my heel reached the bath tub and I propped my back against the wall. To say I was frightened was an understatement. I was absolutely terrified. 

In my head, I began to regret that I didn't let Michael go in the first place. I should have just cleaned up his wounds and demanded him to leave. Now whatever that man was, had invaded my home and is now here to do something I knew wasn't good. Whether it was here to kill Michael or take him away. 

Another shake went through the apartment and I heard the sound of possibly the coffee table in the living room crashing down and a few things being thrown and crashing against the walls. The sound of grunts sounded and I knew that Michael was fighting with whoever had come in. And by the sounds that were coming from Michael, I could tell he wasn't winning.

And at the moment, the fear had turned to panic and I realized that the man only came here to kill Michael. Nothing else. For some reason, though, the thought made me want to do something to prevent that from happening to Michael.

Even though I had met him just last night, and not in the best way possible--he was still young and he didn't deserve to die. Not like this and not by this man. He may not be normal, but he did save me from being stabbed and I felt the need to help him. 

Taking a deep breath, I went to the door and slowly creaked it open and immediately the sound of things crashing was louder. Once I opened the door wider and took a step out, I noticed that the walls in the hallways were now covered in ice and the temperature was incredibly cold. 

I let out another shaky breath, which I could now see, and took a few steps forward, only to jump when I heard a loud crash. The sound of Michael groaning in pain was louder now, and I put my hands into fists and walked forward. My legs felt like jelly as I got closer to the living room and I can hear the man's voice clearly. 

"How pathetic Michael! You take refuge in an innocent girl's home?" I finally reached the corner of the hallway and peered around it, and saw a man with light hair and a dark jacket towering over Michael, who laid sprawled on the ground, a clear piece of thick rope tied around him. It took me a moment to realize that the rope seemed to be made out of ice. A trickle of blood came from Michael's mouth, but his eyes were green as ever. It made me confused for a second, as to why he couldn't break free from the ice. if his skin was hot and he could melt it away, couldn't he? But it seemed as if the ice had a big negative effect on him. That despite the fact that his glowing arms touched the ice, nothing actually happened to it. It stayed frozen.

"Did you think Nick and I were going to let you go so easily? Always running Michael, never fighting. Really, I expect more from you. And now you've brought a girl into this mess, and now she has to die too," The man spat at Michael. My eyes narrowed onto him and I realized that instead of being the man I remembered from last night, he was someone different. Instead of having spiky hair, his hair was long and nearly reached his shoulders. He was much taller than the man before and much broader. And definitely much more terrifying. 

The words he had spoken did cause my hands to tremble even more, but that didn't stop me from taking a careful step forward, into the living room. 

The man, however, didn't take notice and instead was looking down at a cell phone he had in his hand. In his other hand, he held an ice knife. I took another step, but this time toward the kitchen. After all, it was the place that was most likely going to have a weapon that I could use against him.

My eyes darted to the pan that was conveniently on the stove and then to the man, who was busily searching something on his phone. Immediately I froze when I saw Michael staring back at me with wide eyes. I gave him a nod and he looked at me with a concerned face. 

I took a few steps and suddenly got closer to the stove that I was able to wrap my fingers around the handle. The pan was medium sized and hopefully sturdy enough to beat the shit out of the man. 

"You can just let the girl go, Henry. She doesn't know anything and she didn't do anything for that matter," Michael spoke up, his eyes leaving me and now were looking up at the man, Henry, as he called him. 

Henry looked up from his phone and smirked down at Michael. He placed the phone into his back pocket and squatted down in front of him. I took another few steps forward, making sure to step in places that weren't going to make any sounds that would indicate that I was behind him.

"And where's the fun in that Mikey?" Henry sneered, bringing the ice knife in front of him. Michael flinched away from it and Henry let out a chuckle. "The girl can be useful to us."

"You're meant to kill Incendians, not innocent human beings," Michael growled, his eyes growing brighter by the second.

Henry reached forward and sliced the knife down Michael's left cheek. A hiss sounded as the blade touched his skin and Michael let out a painful yell. "And Incendians are meant to kill humans, so why haven't you done that yet?" 

I was closer now, just a few feet behind the man and I took a deep breath, my grip tightening on the handle. 

Michael let a small smirk grow on his face. "In my opinion, I think we should be scared of what humans can do too." 

Henry laughed. "Yeah? And why is that?" 

At that moment, I raised the pan high in the air and brought it forward with full force down at Henry's head. A loud pang sounded and the man fell sidewards onto the floor. He didn't make any noise, and I wondered for a second that maybe I could have killed him, but I didn't think twice about it as I rushed down to Michael. 

I tugged at the rope around him but instantly jerked back when it felt freezing cold in my fingers. But I had to get him out of it so I grasped it again and tugged at it, hoping to at least crack the ice, but it didn't budge. "What the hell is this thing?" I muttered, tugging at the rope again. 

"Use the knife," Michael whispered. 

I glanced at the man behind me and grabbed the ice knife that was still in his hands. Once I touched the hilt of the knife, the blade immediately lit up blue and I gasped. I looked at Michael to see him as startled as I was. 

My skin prickled in a frenzy, and I tried my best to ignore it as I sliced at the rope with the weapon. To my amazement, the blade cut through the rope cleanly and eventually the entire thing shattered, the shards of ice dropping to the floor. Where the ice rope touched his skin, it had almost burnt it making the skin red. 

I let out a relieved breath, but it got stuck in my throat when I heard a groan from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the man turning onto his back and shaking his head slowly. He was waking up. 

"Shit," Michael breathed and got to his feet, bringing myself up with him. "We have to get out here." 

I nodded and ran over to the kitchen table where the keys to my truck lay. I grabbed them in my hand and ran out of the apartment, with Michael at my heels. As soon as we got out, I heard the sound of Henry groaning once again and I glanced inside to see him getting to his feet. 

He held his palm to his forehead and turned to look at us, glaring straight at me, "You bitch-" He began to snarl but Michael cut him off as he slammed the door shut. 

I grabbed Michael, about to drag him down the hallway to the elevator when he reached for the knob and instantly his hand began to glow red. I heard a sizzling sound and I realized that Michael was actually melting the bronze knob onto the door. 

My eyes widened. "How-"

The words died in my mouth by the sound of Henry pounding his fist on the door. Michael grabbed my arm and tugged me down the hallway. I winced as his skin felt unusually warm against mine. It didn't burn as I thought it would since he was still glowing, but it did still felt strange. There were multiple pounds now, echoing down the empty hallway. I was surprised that none of the other residents on this floor had come out to check what all the commotion was about. Michael pounded his fists on the elevator button a couple of times. "Come on," he muttered under his breath. 

Eventually, the elevator doors slid open and we both hurried inside, my thumb immediately slamming onto the car garage lot button. Fortunately, no one was inside the shaft. 

When the metal doors were almost closed, I was able to get a glimpse of the hallway, and my apartment door breaking and falling onto the floor along with pieces of ice. The doors finally shut and I heard Michael let out a relieved breath.

I went over to the wall and pressed my back against the wall. My heart was still pounding in my rib cage, and the keys in my hand were cutting into my palm from me holding onto them tightly. Shallow gasps began to come from my mouth and I brought my shaking hands to my face. 

"Aiden?" Michael's voice sounded concern. I felt him come up in front of me, and I knew he was there since the heat of his body was practically radiating onto me. "Hey, stay with me okay? Nothing is going to happen to you, that I promise." 

I felt his hands wrap around my wrist and he slowly removed them from my face, taking the keys that just so happened to cut my hand into his own hand. I bit my lip, to stop it from trembling and looked up at him and surprisingly, his eyes were back to normal. They weren't glowing anymore.

"Okay," I whispered, letting out a shaky breath. His lips set into a grim line and I looked down at my hands to see that Michael was still holding onto my wrists. He looked down as well and immediately released them, muttering an apology. 

When the doors of the elevator finally opened, we were at the car garage lot and I could see my old truck parked a few feet away. I walked forward, about to get out of the shaft, when Michael's arm went forward and he stopped me in my place.

"What?" I asked, my voice soft. 

"Would you mind if I drive?" he questioned, holding up my car keys. I almost forgot that he had taken them before. 

"Do I have a choice?" For some reason, all the questions that I begged for answers before to were pushed back in my mind and I only focused on the thought of being able to get out of here safely. 

He nodded and then began to walk toward my truck quickly. I followed behind and we both got inside once we reached it, me going in the passenger seat and Michael going into the driver's seat. I clicked in the seat belt and looked behind in the backseat and was surprised to see my bag from work still there. I probably had left it there last night and forgot to take it with me. Michael inserted the keys to the ignition and to my surprise, the engine roared to life, more powerfully than usual. 

Michael immediately pressed his foot onto the pedal and the truck lurched forward. I glanced to the side to see the door from the apartment building's staircase burst open and out came Henry. 

"Michael," I spoke out and Michael looked in the rear view mirror and cursed, now putting full force on the gas pedal. The tires of the truck squealed and I twisted again in my seat to see that Henry didn't run after us like I expected him to. Instead, he stood where he was, the ice knife glowing blue in his hand and a menacing grin on his face. 

Michael took a sharp turn to the right, and the view of Henry disappeared and we were now on the streets of Prescott. I kept a grip on my seat as Michael weaved quickly through the streets, the car's speed going over the speed limit. I looked back once more and was relieved to see no one following us. 

"Is he following us?" Michael asked, his eyes fixed on the busy road in front of him. 

I shook my head. "No, I don't think he's going to." 

"He will," Michael said, as he finally slowed down the car to the speed limit.

I glanced at him. "What do you mean?" 

He paused for a second as he took a right onto a street and I realized that he was actually heading to the edge of the city. "They always seem to find me. It usually takes them a week to figure out where I am, but somehow they found me faster this time." 

"How do you think they found out where I lived?"

He sighed. "They're hunters. If you're only a couple miles away, it doesn't take them long till they find out exactly where you are."

I decided against it to question him about what he meant by 'hunters' and instead asked him something else. "Where are you going?" I demanded. We were now just on the outskirts of the city and just on the side of the road up ahead, I could see a motel. 

"I was staying in a motel outside of the city before last night. I just need to stop by there to grab a few things." 

"Grab a few things for what? I thought you were going to leave me alone!" I stared at him, the panic blooming once again inside of me. 

"I can't," Michael mumbled under his breath. 

"Why not? I don't want anything to do with this! We could stop by your motel for your things, but that's it--" 

Michael swerved the car to the right of the road and screeched to a stop on the side causing me to let out an alarmed yelp. He turned to face me, a taut look on his face and frustration flaring in his brightening irises. "I can't because they know you already. They know how you look, they know where you live, and soon enough, they'll know who you are. And they will go after you." 

His words caused every limb in my body to freeze. I looked back at him, my heart racing and a terrified expression on my face. ''But they want you, not me," I tried, the words stuttering from my mouth. 

"They do want me. And they'll use you to get to me." He looked frustrated as he ran a hand through his flaming red hair. 

I immediately choked up. "What are you talking about? I barely know you--" 

"But you helped me Aiden. You've interacted with me. And they will kill you for it." He was leaning forward now, his frustrated eyes now turning into an angry glow. "Listen, I know you don't want anything to do with me, but you have to trust me when I say you have to come with me for your safety. "

My open mouth closed shut, leaving me in an angry silence, and I felt tears prickle at the corner of my eyes. I looked away and instead toward the window outside. Michael let out an exasperated sigh and then pressed his foot on the pedal again, taking us back onto the road.

When we eventually reached the motel, Michael drove onto the parking lot and stopped in front of the rows of motel rooms on the side of the lobby. 

He got out the car, turning the engine off and made his way to the motel room that was a couple of doors to the left. I quickly got out of the car as well and followed him to the door. He stopped in front of the motel room that read 13 on the door and reached into his back pocket of his jeans for something, which probably was his keys. 

My eyes went from the number to handle of the door and I noticed that the door was actually cracked open. "Michael," I spoke out. He glanced at me with a questioning look. "I think they were already here."

His eyebrows drew together and he stepped forward, carefully pushing the door more open. Inside of the room was dark and Michael's fingers searched the wall on the side for the light switch. A click sounded and the dark room was now covered in light.

And now both our faces were covered in shock when we saw the appearance of the room. 

The motel room was a complete mess. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and the full-size bed in the middle was ripped sheets a mattress. A few things were scattered on the floor as well that belonged to the motel. 

It looks like a dog tore apart this room. And it was as if Michael heard my thoughts because he suddenly growled, "Fucking bastards." He moved forward picking up the clothes on the floor, that I was assuming were his. He walked over to the bed and reached for something under it, pulling it out. It was a medium size black duffel bag and it also had clothes spilling out of it. Collecting the clothes around the room, Michael shoved all of them inside of the bag. 

I moved forward to help him with the other things that were on the floor but Michael stopped me. "Don't bother," he said. "We're leaving anyway." He walked toward the bathroom at the end of the room and disappeared inside it. 

A second later, he came out the bathroom with a black Jansport backpack in hand and a big grin on his face. "Thankfully, they didn't find this." 

I raised an eyebrow. "What's in there?" 

He zipped the bag open and held it out to me. "Everything I need to survive." 

I took the bag and looked inside to find about three old phones and a couple of calling cards. There was also a couple of hundred dollar bills and an old fashioned game boy. I looked up at him, my eyes looking at him questioningly. How the hell did he get all of these things? 

As if he read my mind again, he shook his head and took the bag from me. "Don't ask." 

He took hold of the duffel bag and threw the strap of the bag onto his shoulder. "Let's go." 

I walked out of the motel room without questions and shut the door after Michael. He immediately went over to the truck and threw his stuff into the backseat once he got the door open. We both climbed into our seats and he put the keys back into the ignition. I expected him to immediately drive out of the lot but he just sat there, his hands on the wheels and his eyebrows drawn together, showing that he was thinking about something.

I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest. The lump in my throat grew as I asked him, "What do we do now?" 

In the sudden change of events, my life completely turned around. Just yesterday afternoon, I was a just an eighteen-year-old waitress working girl who had trouble earning money and whose only friends was a fifty-year-old employee and chef from a diner. And now I was thrust into this world where this boy with strange glowing eyes and glowing arms ran from men who seem to have control of ice. It was the world that shouldn't exist. These people, whatever they were, shouldn't exist, but the do. And I knew, that ever since last night, I felt like I was going to be apart of this world and there was no way I could turn back from it, whether I like it or not.

"Aiden," Michael said, his voice interrupting my thoughts, "Believe me when I say I didn't want to bring you into the mess, but I had to." He sounded drained but that didn't stop his grip on the wheel from tightening. "They know who you are, and they are horrible people. They will just kill you for helping me out and I know I'm supposed to leave you alone, but I can't if there's still a possibility of them coming after you too--" he repeated what he previously said on the side before I interrupted him.

"I know. I get it. I have no choice, okay." I mumbled, still shaking--shaking from anger, confusion. Fear. 

Michael's eyes softened at how my voice shook. "Just until we find a safe place for you, alright? And then I will then be out of your life and you'll never have to see me or those guys again," he promised.

I nodded, "It's okay. I trust you," I said and I noticed a look of surprise flicker across his face even though he wasn't looking at me. 

It wasn't all a lie. From the way, Michael was so determined to keep me safe, and how he saved my life more than once, I did have a little trust for him. But it was only small. I shouldn't ever fully trust someone like him. Someone who could do the kind of things he could do now.

"So," I sighed, and bit my lip. "What do we do now?" I repeated the question I had before.

Michael was silent for a second and I thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he looked at me, his pale green eyes meeting mine. "Now, we run."


End file.
